Image forming apparatus and image forming system

ABSTRACT

An image forming apparatus includes a communication part that performs communication with an external device; an image processing part that processes image data that is received by the communication part and that is for forming an image; an image forming part that forms an image of the image data processed in the image processing part; and a power supply controller that controls power supplied to the communication part, the image processing part, or the image forming part. The communication part includes a memory part that stores status information of the image forming apparatus, and a server part that performs communication with the external device, and the power supply controller supplies power to only the communication part in a power saving mode during a standby period, and the server part responds to a status information reference request and a status information update request from the external device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to, claims priority from andincorporates by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-060445,filed on Mar. 18, 2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to an image forming apparatus and animage forming system that allows referencing and updating statusinformation to be made from other equipment connected to such a device.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases where animage forming apparatus, such as a printer and the like, connected to anetwork, such as a local area network (LAN) and the like, is shared withmultiple external devices connected to the same network, for example.

In such a situation, among the above-described image forming apparatus,there are those that have a power saving mode which restricts the powersupply to components other than the startup controller for the purposeof reducing the power consumption during standby until a startup requestis inputted for the print execution command (see JP Laid-Open PatentApplication No. 2005-193560, for example).

However, in the image forming apparatus described in the above-describedJP Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-193560, when a referencerequest or an update request for the status information of the imageforming apparatus is made from an external device during the powersaving mode, a main central processing unit (CPU) that has associated alarge power consumption is used to respond to such a request. Therefore,reduction of power consumption is prevented.

The present application considers such a situation. An objective of thepresent application is to provide an image forming apparatus and animage forming system which allow reduction of power consumption even ifa reference request or an update request for status information of theimage forming apparatus is made from an external device during a powersaving mode.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the objects, an image forming apparatus according tothe present application includes a communication part that performscommunication with an external device; an image processing part thatprocesses image data that is received by the communication part and thatis for forming an image; an image forming part that forms an image ofthe image data processed in the image processing part; and a powersupply controller that controls power supplied to the communicationpart, the image processing part, or the image forming part. Thecommunication part includes a memory part that stores status informationof the image forming apparatus, and a server part that performscommunication with the external device, and the power supply controllersupplies power to only the communication part in a power saving modeduring a standby period, and the server part responds to a statusinformation reference request and a status information update requestfrom the external device.

In addition, an image forming system according to the presentapplication includes the above-described image forming apparatus and theexternal device that communicates with the image forming apparatus. Theexternal devices includes a receiving part that receives the clientapplication object, a display part that analyzes the received clientapplication object and displays at least a part of the statusinformation, an input part that accepts a modification to the statusinformation displayed on the display part, and a sending part that sendsthe status information update request accepted via the input part to theimage forming apparatus.

According to the present application, an image forming apparatus and animage forming system are provided which allow the reduction of powerconsumption even if a reference request or an update request for thestatus information of the image forming apparatus is made from anexternal device during the power saving mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a figure explaining an example of a connection between aprinter and a network device (PC) via a LAN network.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining aconfiguration of the printer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of status informationstored by a non-volatile memory.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the order of thestatus information stored in the non-volatile memory.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining aconfiguration of the network device (PC).

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for explaining operation of the printer afterturning on the power.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining a startup process of the printerin FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for explaining a status information reflectionprocess in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram for explaining a printer standby state processin FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram explaining operation of a web applicationobject that drives the network device.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram explaining an example of a controlscreen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram explaining an example of the connection between theprinter and the network device via the LAN network.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining theconfiguration of the printer.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for explaining operation of the printer afterturning on the power.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram for explaining a startup process of theprinter in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram for explaining a standby state process of theprinter in FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram explaining operation of the web applicationobject that drives the network device.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram explaining an example of the controlscreen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present application are explained below withreference to the drawings. The present application is not limited to thebelow descriptions but may be appropriately modified without departingfrom the scope of the embodiments.

First Embodiment

The present embodiment is explained using an image forming system as anexample, which is constructed by connecting a printer as an imageforming apparatus that includes an electrographic print engine to a LANnetwork including multiple units of network devices as external devices.

FIG. 1 is a figure explaining an example of a connection between aprinter 10 of the present embodiment and network devices (PCs) 12 a, 12b and 12 c via a LAN network 11.

Here, the network devices (PCs) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are externaldevices connected via the LAN network 11. In the present embodiment, thenetwork devices (PCs) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are assumed to be personalcomputers (PCs) that include at least a web browser. However, otherforms of devices that include a web browser may be used.

Next, a configuration of the printer 10 is explained with reference toFIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining aconfiguration of the printer 10.

The printer 10 includes a network controller 101 as a communicationpart, a device controller (CPU/application specific integrated circuit(ASIC)) 102, an image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, a memory 104, animage forming part 105, a device information management part 106, and apower supply controller 107. In FIG. 2, the network controller 101 isshown to be provided inside the printer 10. However, the configurationis not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and the networkcontroller 101 may be provided at any location in the LAN network 11 andcommunicate with the printer 10 as needed via the LAN network 11.

The network controller 101 includes a network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011, a web server program storage part 1012, andnon-volatile memory 1013, and is connected to the LAN network 11. Thenetwork controller 101 receives print jobs according to the line printerdaemon (LPR) protocol and the like from network device (PC) 12 a, 12 b,and 12 c and responds to requests from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12b, and 12 c on the LAN network 11, for example. In addition, thenon-volatile memory 1013 as a memory part memorizes and stores statusinformation relating to the printer 10.

The network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 includes a CPU and amemory, analyzes transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP) packets flowing from the LAN network 11. As a result, thenetwork controller part 1011 receives print jobs from the networkdevices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c on the LAN network 11 and responds toaccesses requested from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.

A web server program storage part 1012 stores a web server program forresponding to web accesses from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and12 c on the LAN network 11 and web content utilized by the web serverprogram. The web server program is executed by a CPU inside the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011. Specifically, the web server programis a simple program including the following three functions. First, theweb server program includes a function to send a web application objectto a specified web address upon a web access as a reference request forstatus information from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.The web server program also includes a function to send statusinformation stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 to the networkdevices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c upon a status information acquisitionrequest from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c. The webserver program further includes a function to write the received updatedcontent to the status information stored in the non-volatile memory 1013upon a status information update request from the network devices (PC)12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.

The web content is a web application object described in a language suchas Java (registered trademark), Ajax and the like, and is executed on aweb browser included in the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c tomake the reference request and the update request for the statusinformation. Here, the web application object includes the followingcharacteristics so as not to place a load on the network controller part1011. First, all pages are embedded in advance in the web applicationobject according to the present embodiment. Therefore, no web accessoccurs even if a page switching operation is performed for a referencerequest or update request for the status information on the web browseron the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c. In addition, when theweb application object is executed on the web browser on the networkdevices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c, the web browser sends the request tothe printer 10 only once and obtains the status information of theprinter 10. Moreover, if the status information is updated on the webapplication object, the updated information of the status information issent to the printer 10 only when an “Apply” button on the webapplication object is pressed down. At this time, the sent and receivedstatus information is data itself of a fixed format stored in thenon-volatile memory 1013, and encoding/decoding of the data is performedon the web application object side.

The non-volatile memory 1013 is a memory area for memorizing and storingthe status information of the image forming apparatus so as to allowsending/receiving of the status information from and to the networkdevices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c while in the power saving mode.Because the non-volatile memory 1013 is non-volatile, the memorizedcontent is retained even if the power supply to the image formingapparatus is cut off.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of status informationstored by a non-volatile memory 1013. First, device-specific information1061 a is updated according to operation state of the printer 10 of thepresent embodiment and is device-specific status information whichcannot be modified by the user. Although the status information isclassified into a large classification 1062 a, a medium classification1063 a, and a small classification 1064 a, the status information isintegrally arranged in the non-volatile memory 1013 regardless of theclassifications. Parameters corresponding to the respectiveclassifications are listed as parameter examples 1065 a.

Next, modifiable information 106 lb is status information that can bemodified by the user. Although the status information is also classifiedinto the large classification 1062 b, the medium classification 1063 b,and the small classification 1064 b in the same manner as thedevice-specific information 1061 a, the status information is integrallyarranged in the non-volatile memory 1013 regardless of theclassifications.

Parameters corresponding to the respective classifications are listed asparameter examples 1065 b.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the order of thestatus information stored in the non-volatile memory 1013. As shown inFIG. 4, the status information is arranged in the order of thedevice-specific information 1061 a and the modifiable information 1061b. The details of the arrangement are in a large classification order10131. Then, inside each large classification, the arrangement is in amedium classification order 10132, and inside each mediumclassification, the arrangement is in a small classification order10133. The parameters of each small classification are secured by thenecessary number of bytes.

The device controller part (CPU/ASIC) 102 includes a CPU or ASICrequiring larger power consumption than the CPU of the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 and centrally controls the entiredevice.

The image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 includes a CPU/ASIC requiringlarger power consumption than the CPU of the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 and performs appropriate image processes for printing,such as color matching and dithering, to the print job received by thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011.

The memory 104 is a memory for storing a print job received by thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011, securing a working area forthe image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 to perform image process,storing a processed image after the image process by the imageprocessing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, and securing a working area used by thedevice controller (CPU/ASIC) 102.

The image forming part 105 includes a print engine (not shown) andprints the image stored in the memory 104 after the image process at theimage processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 by supplying a sheet from a singlesheet supply part or one of multiple sheet supply parts (not shown).

The device information management part 106 acquires the statusinformation from non-volatile memory 1013 during a normal mode, such asduring image printing, and performs reading and writing upon a requestby the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102.

The power supply controller 107 centrally controls the power supplyinside the printer 10. Specifically, the power supply controller 107creates, according to the activity situation of the printer 10, twopower supply states; a “normal mode” which supplies normal power to eachpart at the time of printing an image and the like, and a “power savingmode” which cuts off the power supply to the device controller(CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, the memory104, the image forming part 105, and the device information managementpart 106, and which supplies power only to the network controller 101during a standby period and the like.

Next, the configuration of the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 cof the present embodiment is explained with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a configuration ofthe network device (PC) 12 a, 12 b and 12 c. Here, the configuration ofthe respective network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c is the same,and the explanation below is given as the network device (PC) 12.

The network device (PC) 12 includes an input part 121, a display part122, a network interface 123 as a receiving part and a sending part, amemory part 124, a device controller (CPU) 125, and a web browserapplication 126.

The input part 121 represents a keyboard, a mouse and the like as aninput device provided in the network device (PC) 12. The input part 121accepts the reference request and update request for the statusinformation of the printer 10 while a web application object acquiredfrom the printer 10 in the network device (PC) 12 is being executed.

The display part 122 represents a monitor and the like as a displaydevice provided in the network device (PC) 12. The display part 122displays the status information of the printer 10 while the webapplication object acquired from the printer 10 in the network device(PC) 12 is being executed.

The network interface 123 is a network interface for connecting thenetwork device (PC) 12 to the LAN network 11. The network interface 123acquires the web application object from the printer 10. The networkinterface 123 also acquires the status information of the printer 10 andrequests updating of the status information when the web applicationobject is being executed.

The memory part 124 is a memory provided as a memory device necessaryfor the operation of the network device (PC) 12. In the presentembodiment, the memory part 124 stores a web application object acquiredfrom the printer 10 and secures a working area accompanying theexecution of the web application object. The status information acquiredfrom the printer 10 by the web application object and the statusinformation modified on the web application are included in the workingarea.

The device controller (CPU) 125 is a CPU that centrally controls thenetwork device (PC) 12. For example, following the user's instructionsaccepted via the input part 121, the device controller (CPU) 125 causesthe display part 122 to display images and the printer 10 to executecommunication using the network interface 123.

The web browser application 126 is software running on the networkdevice (PC) 12 for operating the web application object acquired fromthe printer 10 and includes runtime modules, such as Java (registeredtrademark) and Ajax, for operating the web application object.

Next, operation of the printer 10 of the present embodiment isexplained. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for explaining operation of theprinter 10 after turning on the power.

First, in S101, once the power of the printer 10 is turned on, thenetwork controller 101, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102, and theimage processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 start up by reading the respectivefirmware and perform initialization processes by applying appropriatecontrols on the memory 104, the image forming part 105, the deviceinformation management part 106, and the power supply controller 107. Inaddition, the network controller part 1011 reads and starts up a webserver program from the web server program storage part 1012. At thetime, power supply controlled by the power supply controller 107 is inthe normal mode.

Then, in S102, the network controller 101 detects an access from thenetwork device (PC) 12. Here, if reception of a print job or a webaccess from the network device (PC) 12 is detected, the networkcontroller 101 performs respectively appropriate process.

Next, the printer 10 detects whether or not a shutdown has beenperformed by the user. Here, the shutdown means a case where a powerswitch (not shown) on the printer 10 is turned off by the user, and ifthe power switch is turned off (Yes, S103), the power supply to theprinter 10 is cut off, and all processes end. On the other hand, if thepower switch is not turned off (No, S103), process by the printer 10shifts to S104.

The device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 judges whether or not the powersupply controlled by the power supply controller 107 is in the normalmode, whether or not the “power saving” parameter in the “devicemanagement” in the device information management part 106 is “ON”, andwhether or not the standby time has passed by a preset “power savingtime”. Here, if the standby time has passed (Yes, S104), the powersupply controlled by the power supply controller 107 is shifted to thepower saving mode (S105). On the other hand, if the standby time has notpassed (No, S104), process from S102 is repeated.

In S105 once the power supply is shifted to the power saving mode, thepower supply controller 107 stops the power supply to the devicecontroller (CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, thememory 104, the image forming part 105, and the device informationmanagement part 106, other than the network controller 101.

Next, the startup process of the printer 10 in S101 in FIG. 6 isexplained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG. 7.

In S1011, the network controller 101, the device controller (CPU/ASIC)102, and the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 start up by readingthe respective firmware and perform initialization processes by applyingappropriate controls on the memory 104, the image forming part 105, thedevice information management part 106, and the power supply controller107. In addition, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 readsand starts up a web server program from the web server program storagepart 1012. At the time, power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 is in the normal mode.

Then, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 causes the status informationstored in the non-volatile memory 1013 written to the device informationmanagement part 106 and reflected in subsequent device operations(S1012).

Furthermore, the status information reflection process in S1012 in FIG.7 is explained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG. 8.

In S10121, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 causes the statusinformation update data stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 to bewritten to and stored in the device information management part 106.

Then, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 causes the status informationin the device information management part 106 reflected in subsequentdevice operations (S10122).

Next, the standby process of the printer 10 in S102 in FIG. 6 isexplained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG. 9.

First, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether ornot there has been an access from the network device (PC) 12. If therehas been an access from the network device (PC) 12 (Yes, S10201), theprocess by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts toS10202. On the other hand, if there has been no access from the networkdevice (PC) 12 (No, S10201), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

In S10202, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetheror not the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a web access. Ifthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is a web access (Yes,S10202), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011shifts to S10203. On the other hand, if the access by the network device(PC) 12 is not a web access (No, S10202), the process by the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10206.

In S10203, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetheror not the web address in the web access from the network device (PC) 12satisfies a specified condition, using the web server program running inthe network controller part 1011. For example, if an Internet protocol(IP) address assigned to the printer 10 is 192.168.1.12, the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges that the specified condition issatisfied when the web address is “http://192.168.1.12/”. If it isjudged that this condition is satisfied and that the network device (PC)12 is requesting the acquisition of a web application object (Yes,S10203), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011shifts to S10210. On the other hand, if it is judged that the specifiedcondition is not satisfied and that the network device (PC) 12 is notrequesting the acquisition of a web application object (No, S10203), theprocess by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts toS10204.

If it is judged that the network device (PC) 12 is not requesting theacquisition of a web application object (No, S10203), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether or not the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is to request the acquisitionof the status information, using the web server program running in thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If the content of the accessfrom the network device (PC) 12 is a status information acquisitionrequest (Yes, S10204), process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10211. On the other hand, if the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is not a status informationacquisition request (No, S10204), the process by the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10205.

In S10205, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetherthe content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 was to make anupdate request of status information by the web server program runningin the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If the content of theaccess from the network device (PC) 12 is a status information updaterequest (Yes, S10205), process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10212.

On the other hand, if the content of the access from the network device(PC) 12 is not a status information update request (No, S10205), processby the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

If the access from the network device (PC) 12 is not a web access (No,S10202), the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1101 judges whether ornot the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a printjob by the LPR protocol and the like. If the content of the access fromthe network device (PC) 12 is a print job by the LPR protocol and thelike, that is, if the print job is received from the network device (PC)12 (Yes, S10206), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10207. On the other hand, if the content ofthe access by the network device (PC) 12 is not a print job by the LPRprotocol and the like (No, S10206), the process by the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

If the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a printjob by the LPR protocol and the like (Yes, S10206), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether or not the power supplycontrolled by the power supply controller 107 is in the power savingmode. If power supply controlled by the power supply controller 107 isin the power saving mode (Yes, S10207), the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts the power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 from the power saving mode to the normal mode, that is,the power saving mode is released (S10208). In other words, the powersupply controller 107 resumes the power supply to the device controller(CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, the memory104, the image forming part 105, and the device information managementpart 106, to which power supply had been stopped. On the other hand, ifpower supply controlled by the power supply controller 107 is not in thepower saving mode (No, S10207), the process by the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10209.

In S10208, if the power supply controlled by the power supply controller107 is shifted to the normal mode, the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 causes the received status information update data tobe stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 in the status informationreflection process (S1012).

In S10209, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processingpart (CPU/ASIC) 103, the memory 104 and the image forming part 105perform appropriate image processes for printing, such as color matchingand dithering, to the received print job, and perform printing bysupplying a sheet from a single sheet supply part or one of multiple ofthe sheet supply parts (not shown).

If it is judged that the network device (PC) 12 is requesting theacquisition of a web application object (Yes, S10203), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 sends the web application objectstored in the web server program storage part 1012 to the network device(PC) 12, using the web server program running in the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 (S10210).

In addition, if the content of the access from the network device (PC)12 is a status information acquisition request (Yes, S10204), thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 sends the status informationin the non-volatile memory 1013 and the status information update datathat has not been reflected in devices, to the network device (PC) 12using the web server program running in the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 (S10211).

In addition, if the content of the access from the network device (PC)12 is a status information update request (Yes, S10205), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 causes the received status informationupdate data to be stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 (S10212).

Next, in S10213, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judgeswhether or not the power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 is in the power saving mode. Here, if power supplycontrolled by the power supply controller 107 is in the power savingmode (Yes, S10213), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 ends. On the other hand, if power supply controlled bythe power supply controller 107 is not in the power saving mode (No,S10213), the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 executes thestatus information reflection process of S1012.

Next, operation of the web application object running on the networkdevice (PC) 12 of the present embodiment is explained with reference tothe flow diagram in FIG. 10.

First, in S110, the web application object secures, as areas for storingstatus information, two variable groups of status information A andstatus information B in the memory part 124. That is, memory areas forstoring the status information is acquired.

Next, the web application object instructs the network interface 123 tosend to the printer 10 a request to acquire status information and thestatus information update data that has not been reflected in thedevices (S111).

Then, the web application object decodes the results of requesting theacquisition of the status information and the status information updatedata that has not been reflected in the devices as requested in S111, ina format that can be handled by the web application object. The webapplication object then causes the information and data to be stored inthe variable groups status information A and status information Bsecured in the memory part 124 (S112). Here, the status information B isa copy of the status information A.

Next, in S113, the web application object causes the display part 122 todisplay the operation screen via the web browser application 126 andmakes reference and update of the status information in accordance ofthe operation of the input part 121 by the user. That is, the webapplication object displays a web screen and operates based on theoperation by the user.

Here, an example of the operation screen displayed on the display part122 via the web browser application 126 by the web application object isexplained with reference to FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 11, a screen 10121 a is an example of a screendisplayed at the time of when the web application object is executed torefer to status information. The screen 10121 a is configured from fourpanes explained below.

A pane 10122 a is a screen title and is a pane to show the user that thescreen is the status information reference/update screen of the printer10.

A pane 10123 a is a pane to show that the current screen mode is eithera “Status Reference” or a “Status Update”. Either the “Status Reference”or the “Status Update” can be selected via the input part 121, and theselected one is highlighted. In the example shown in FIG. 11, “StatusReference” has been selected.

A pane 10124 a shows the large classification of the status informationbased on the device-specific information 1061 a. If one item among thelarge classification 1062 a is selected via the input part 121, theselected item is highlighted. In the example shown in FIG. 11,“Remaining Amount of Consumable” has been selected.

A pane 10125 a shows the medium classification 1063 a and the smallclassification 1064 a corresponding to the large classification 1062 aselected in the pane 10124 a via the input part 121, and parameters 1065a corresponding to the classifications are read out from the variablegroup status information A in the memory part 124 and displayed. In theexample shown in FIG. 11, the parameters 1065 a are graphicallydisplayed with graphs and illustrations.

A scroll bar 10126 a is a scroll bar displayed when the informationdisplayed in the pane 10125 a has become large and difficult to displayall at once.

A screen 10121 b is an example of a screen displayed when a webapplication object is being executed and when the status information isbeing updated. The screen 10121 b is configured from four panesexplained below.

A pane 10122 b is a screen title and is a pane to show the user that thescreen is the status information reference/update screen of the printer10.

A pane 10123 b is a pane to show that the current screen mode is eithera “Status Reference” or a “Status Update”. Either the “Status Reference”or the “Status Update” can be selected via the input part 121, and theselected one is highlighted. In the example shown in FIG. 11, “StatusUpdate” has been selected.

A pane 10124 a shows the large classification 1062 b for the statusinformation based on the modifiable information 1061 b. If one itemamong the large classification 1062 b is selected via the input part121, the selected item is highlighted. Here, in the example shown inFIG. 11, “Sheet Tray Setup” has been selected.

A pane 10125 b shows the medium classification 1063 b and the smallclassification 1064 b corresponding to the large classification 1062 bselected in the pane 10124 b via the input part 121, and parameters 1065b corresponding to the classifications are read out from the variablegroup status information A in the memory part 124 and displayed usingcheckboxes, pull-down menus, radio buttons, and the like. The parameters1065 b are modifiable by the user. The status update informationmodified in the pane 10125 b is not instantly sent to the printer 10,but the variable group status information A in the memory part 124 isupdated.

A scroll bar 10126 b is a scroll bar displayed when the informationdisplayed in the pane 10125 b has become large and difficult to displayall at once.

In S114 shown in FIG. 10, the web application object judges whether ornot an Apply button 10127 b on the operation screen displayed via thedisplay part 122 is pressed down. If the Apply button 10127 b is presseddown (Yes, S114), the process by the web application object shifts toS115. On the other hand, if the Apply button 10127 b is not pressed down(No, S114), the process by the web application object shifts to S116.

If the Apply button 10127 b is pressed down (Yes, S114), the webapplication object encodes the status information stored in the variablegroup status information in the memory part 124 in a fixed format whichcan be used by the device controller (CPU) 125 for storing the statusinformation in the non-volatile memory 1013 in the printer 10 and hasthe status information sent to the printer 10 via the network interface123.

If the Apply button 10127 b is not pressed down (No, S114), the webapplication object judges whether or not a Cancel button 10128 b on theoperation screen displayed via the display part 122 is pressed down. Ifthe Cancel button 10128 b is pressed down (Yes, S116), process by theweb application object shifts to S117. On the other hand, if the Cancelbutton 10128 b is not pressed down (No, S116), the process by the webapplication object shifts to S118.

If the Cancel button 10128 b is pressed down (Yes, S116), the webapplication object resets the status update information modified via theinput part 121 in the pane 10125 b to restore the original state beforethe modification (pre-modification state). That is, the statusinformation currently stored in the memory is canceled. (S117). In otherwords, the web application object copies the content of the variablegroup status information B in the memory part 124 to the variable groupstatus information A. Once the status information of the memory part 124is reset to the pre-modification state, the display of the pane 10125 bis also rewritten to the state before the modification.

On the other hand, if the Cancel button 10128 b is not pressed down (No,S116), the web application object detects an end signal due to closing aweb browser, moving to another web page, and the like. If the end signaldue to closing a web browser, moving to another web page, and the likeis detected, that is, if there is an end instruction to end by the webbrowser (Yes, S118), the web application object ends the process. If theend signal is not detected (No, S118), the process by the webapplication object shifts to S113.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, a non-volatilememory in which printer status information is recorded is provided in anetwork controller that operates even under a power saving mode torespond to the reference request and update request for the statusinformation from network device. In addition, when the networkcontroller receives a status information update request under the powersaving mode, the status information is reflected when the process isshifted to a normal mode. Therefore, the power supply to a devicecontroller and an image processing part with large power consumption canbe cut off in the power saving mode, enabling power consumption to beeffectively reduced.

Second Embodiment

Similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment is explainedusing an image forming system as an example, which is constructed byconnecting a printer as an image forming apparatus to a LAN networkincluding multiple units of network devices as external devices.

In explaining the present embodiment, parts that are the same as thosein the first embodiment are identified by the same symbols, andexplanation is omitted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram explaining an example of the connection between aprinter 20, the network device (PC) 12 a, 12 b and 12 c and a networktime protocol (NTP) server 23 via the LAN network 11.

Here, the network devices (PCs) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are externaldevices connected via the LAN network 11. In the present embodiment, thenetwork devices (PCs) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are assumed to be personalcomputers (PCs) that include at least a web browser. However, otherforms of devices that include a web browser may be used.

The NTP server 23 performs the synchronization of time information ofthe printer 20 and the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c insidethe LAN network 11.

Next, a configuration of the printer 20 is explained with reference toFIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining aconfiguration of the printer 20.

The printer 20 includes a network controller 201, a device controller(CPU/ASIC) 102, an image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, a memory 104,an image forming part 105, a device information management part 106, anda power supply controller 107.

The network controller 201 includes a web server program storage part2012 and a timing part 2014 in addition to the function of the networkcontroller 101 of the first embodiment, and checks whether the statusinformation retained by the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c isolder than the status information in the printer 20.

The timing part 2014 provides a function to measure the passage of timeand supplies time information to the network controller part 1011.Ideally, time information in the timing part 2014 is synchronized withthe accurate present time by periodically accessing the NTP server 23.

The web server program storage part 2012 stores a web server program forresponding to web accesses from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and12 c on the LAN network 11 and web contents utilized by the web serverprogram. The web server program is executed by a CPU inside the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011. Specifically, the web server programis a simple program including the following four functions. First, theweb server program includes a function to send a web application objectto a specified web address upon a web access as a reference request ofstatus information from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.The web server program also includes a function to express timeinformation acquired from the timing part 2014 in the 4-byte UNIX(registered trademark) time, to add the time information as statusacquisition time to the end of the status information stored innon-volatile memory 1013, and to send the result to the network devices(PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c, when there is a status informationacquisition request from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.In addition, the web server program includes a function to write thereceived status information into the non-volatile memory 1013, to causethe time information acquired from the timing part 2014 to be memorizedand stored in the memory in the network controller part (CPU/memory)1011 as the status update time, when there is the status informationupdate request from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.Furthermore, the web server program includes a function to judge whetheror not the status information retained by the network devices (PC) 12 a,12 b, and 12 c is older than the status information of the printer 20,and if older, to send the status information in the printer 20 to thenetwork devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c, when there is a status checkrequest from the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c.

Whether or not the status information retained by the network devices(PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c is older than the status information of theprinter 20 is judged by the method shown below.

In other words, the previous status acquisition information is includedin the status check request information from the network devices (PC) 12a, 12 b, and 12 c, and if the previous status acquisition information isolder than the status update time stored in the memory in the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011, the web server program judges thatthe status information retained by the network devices (PC) 12 a, 12 b,and 12 c is old.

The web application object stored in the web server program storage part2012 is different from the web application object of the firstembodiment in the following aspects. First, in receiving the statusinformation of the printer 20, the web application object receives andstores the status acquisition time expressed in the 4-byte UNIX(registered trademark) time. In addition, after acquiring the statusinformation, the web application object periodically makes a statuscheck request to the printer 20. At this time, the web applicationobject adds the previous status acquisition time in the web applicationobject expressed in the 4-byte UNIX (registered trademark) time insending the request. If the response from the printer 20 contains statusinformation which is different from the status information previouslyacquired by the web application object, the web application objectupdates the status information and the status acquisition time in theweb application object. In the present embodiment, the inquiry isassumed to be executed every five minutes.

Next, operation of the printer 20 of the present embodiment isexplained.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for explaining operation of the printer 20after turning on the power. In this following explanation, the networkdevices (PC) 12 a, 12 b, and 12 c are explained as network devices (PC)12.

First, in S201, once the power of the printer 20 is turned on, thenetwork controller 201, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102, and theimage processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 start up by reading theirrespective firmware and perform initialization process by applyingappropriate controls on the memory 104, the image forming part 105, thedevice information management part 106, and the power supply controller107. In addition, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 readsand starts up the web server program from the web server program storagepart 2012. At this time, power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 is in the normal mode.

Next, in S206, the network controller 201 acquires time information fromthe timing part 2014 and writes the acquired current time onto thestatus update time in the memory in the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011.

Then, in S202, the network controller 201 detects an access from thenetwork device (PC) 12. Here, if reception of a print job or a webaccess from the network device (PC) 12 is detected, the networkcontroller 201 performs respectively appropriate process.

Next, the printer 20 detects whether or not a shutdown has beenperformed by the user. Here, the shutdown means a case where a powerswitch (not shown) on the printer 20 is turned off by the user, and ifthe power switch is turned off (Yes, S103), the power supply to theprinter 20 is cut off, and all processes end. On the other hand, if thepower switch is not turned off (No, S103), process by the printer 20shifts to S104.

The device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 judges whether or not the powersupply controlled by the power supply controller 107 is in the normalmode, whether or not the “power saving” parameter in the “devicemanagement” in the device information management part 106 is “ON”, andwhether or not a preset “power saving time” has passed in the standbytime. Here, if the standby time has passed (Yes, S104), the power supplycontrolled by the power supply controller 107 is shifted to the powersaving mode (S105). On the other hand, if the standby time has notpassed (No, S104), process from S202 is repeated.

In S105 once the power supply is shifted to the power saving mode, thepower supply controller 107 stops the power supply to the devicecontroller (CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103, thememory 104, the image forming part 105, and the device informationmanagement part 106, other than the network controller 201.

Next, the startup process of the printer 20 in S201 in FIG. 14 isexplained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG. 15.

In S2011 the network controller 201, the device controller (CPU/ASIC)102, and the image processing part (CPU/ASIC) 103 start up by readingtheir respective firmware and perform initialization process by applyingappropriate controls on the memory 104, the image forming part 105, thedevice information control management part 106, and the power supplycontroller 107. In addition, the network controller part (CPU/memory)1011 reads and starts up the web server program from the web serverprogram storage part 2012. At this time, power supply controlled by thepower supply controller 107 is in the normal mode.

Then, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102 causes the status informationstored in the non-volatile memory 1013 to be written to the deviceinformation management part 106 and reflected in future deviceoperations (S1012).

Next, the standby process of the printer 20 in S202 in FIG. 14 isexplained with reference to the flow diagram in FIG. 16.

First, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether ornot there has been an access from the network device (PC) 12. If therehas been an access from the network device (PC) 12 (Yes, S10201), theprocess by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts toS10202. On the other hand, if there has been no access from the networkdevice (PC) 12 (No, S10201), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

In S10202, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetheror not the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a web access. Ifthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is a web access (Yes,S10202), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011shifts to S20203. On the other hand, if the access by the network device(PC) 12 is not a web access (No, S10202), the process by the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10206.

In S20203 the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetheror not the web address in the web access from the network device (PC) 12satisfies a specified condition, using the web server program running inthe network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. For example, if anInternet protocol (IP) address assigned to the printer 10 is192.168.1.12, the network controller part 1011 judges that the specifiedcondition is satisfied when the web address is “http://192.168.1.12/”.If it is judged that this condition is satisfied and that the networkdevice (PC) 12 is requesting the acquisition of a web application object(Yes, S20203), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory)1011 shifts to S20210. On the other hand, if it is judged that thespecified condition is not satisfied and that the network device (PC) 12is not requesting the acquisition of a web application object (No,S20203), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011shifts to S20204.

If it is judged that the network device (PC) 12 is not requesting theacquisition of a web application object (No, S20203), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether or not the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is to request the acquisitionof the status information, using the web server program running in thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If the content of the accessfrom the network device (PC) 12 is a status information acquisitionrequest (Yes, S20204), process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S20211. On the other hand, if the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is not a status informationacquisition request (No, S20204), the process by the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S20214.

If the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 was not astatus information acquisition request (No, S20204), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether or not the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is to request a statusinformation check, using the web server program running in the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If the content of the access from thenetwork device (PC) 12 is a status information check request (Yes,S20214), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011shifts to S20215. On the other hand, if the content of the access fromthe network device (PC) 12 was not a status information check request(No, S20214), the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory)1011 shifts to S10205.

If the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a statusinformation check request (Yes, S20214), the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 reads out the previous status acquisition timeincluded in the received data whose status information check isrequested from the network device (PC) 12 and judges whether or not theacquisition time is older than the status update time stored in thememory in the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If theacquisition time is older than the status update time stored in thememory in the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 (Yes, S20215),the process by the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts toS20211. On the other hand, if the acquisition time is not older than thestatus update time stored in the memory in the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 (No, S20215), the process by the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S20216.

In S20216, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 notifies thenetwork device (PC) 12 that the status information is up to date by theweb server program running in the network controller part (CPU/memory)1011.

In S10205, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whetherthe content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 was to make anupdate request of status information by the web server program runningin the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011. If the content of theaccess from the network device (PC) 12 is a status information updaterequest (Yes, S10205), process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10212. On the other hand, if the content ofthe access from the network device (PC) 12 is not a status informationupdate request (No, S10205), process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

If the access from the network device (PC) 12 is not a web access (No,S10202), the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1101 judges whether ornot the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a printjob by the LPR protocol and the like. If the content of the access fromthe network device (PC) 12 is a print job by the LPR protocol and thelike (Yes, S10206), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts to S10207. On the other hand, if the content ofthe access by the network device (PC) 12 is not a print job by the LPRprotocol and the like (No, S10206), the process by the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 ends.

If the content of the access from the network device (PC) 12 is a printjob by the LPR protocol and the like (Yes, S10206), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judges whether or not the power supplycontrolled by the power supply controller 107 is in the power savingmode. If power supply controlled by the power supply controller 107 isin the power saving mode (Yes, S10207), the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 shifts the power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 from the power saving mode to the normal mode (S10208).In other words, the power supply controller 107 resumes the power supplyto the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processing part(CPU/ASIC) 103, the memory 104, the image forming part 105, and thedevice information management part 106, to which power supply had beenstopped. On the other hand, if power supply controlled by the powersupply controller 107 is not in the power saving mode (No, S10207), theprocess by the network controller part 1011 shifts to S10209.

In S10208, if the power supply controlled by the power supply controller107 is shifted to the normal mode, the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 causes the received status information update data tobe stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 (S1012).

In S10209, the device controller (CPU/ASIC) 102, the image processingpart (CPU/ASIC) 103, the memory 104 and the image forming part 105perform appropriate image processes for printing, such as color matchingand dithering, to the received print job, and perform printing bysupplying a sheet from a single sheet supply part or one of multiple ofthe sheet supply parts (not shown).

If it is judged that the network device (PC) 12 is requesting theacquisition of a web application object (Yes, S20203), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 sends the web application objectstored in the web server program storage part 2012 to the network device(PC) 12, using the web server program running in the network controllerpart (CPU/memory) 1011 (S20210).

In addition, if the content of the access from the network device (PC)12 is a status information acquisition request (Yes, S20204), thenetwork controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 adds time information of thetiming part 2014 expressed in the 4-byte UNIX (registered trademark)time as status acquisition time to the end of the status informationstored in the non-volatile memory 1013, and sends the results to thenetwork device (PC) 12 (S20211), using the Web server program operatingin the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011.

In addition, if the content of the access from the network device (PC)12 is a status information update request (Yes, S10205), the networkcontroller part (CPU/memory) 1011 causes the received status informationupdate data to be stored in the non-volatile memory 1013 (S10212).

Next, in S10213, the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 judgeswhether or not the power supply controlled by the power supplycontroller 107 is in the power saving mode. Here, if power supplycontrolled by the power supply controller 107 is in the power savingmode (Yes, S10213), the process by the network controller part(CPU/memory) 1011 ends. On the other hand, if power supply controlled bythe power supply controller 107 is not in the power saving mode (No,S10213), the network controller part (CPU/memory) 1011 executes thestatus information reflection process of S1012.

Next, operation of the web application object running on the networkdevice (PC) 12 of the present embodiment is explained with reference tothe flow diagram in FIG. 17.

First, in S210, the web application object secures, as areas for storingstratus information, two variable groups of status information A andstatus information B and a 4-byte area for storing the previous statusacquisition time in the UNIX (registered trademark) time in the memorypart 124.

Next, the web application object instructs the network interface 123 tosend to the printer 20 a request to acquire status information and thestatus information update data that has not been reflected in thedevices (S111).

Then, the web application object decodes the results of requesting theacquisition of the status information and the status information updatedata that has not been reflected in the device as requested in S111, ina format that can be handled by the web application object. The webapplication object then causes the information and data to be stored inthe variable group status information A, status information B, and theprevious status acquisition time secured in the memory part 124. Here,the status information B is a copy of the status information A. Inaddition, in the status acquisition time, the time information is storedin the 4-byte UNIX (registered trademark) time format.

Next, in S113, the web application object causes the display part 122 todisplay the operation screen via the web browser application 126 andmakes reference and update of the status information in accordance ofthe operation of the input part 121 by the user.

Next, in S219, the web application object checks a trigger of a timerprogram embedded in itself that performs an interrupt every fiveminutes. If the trigger is up (Yes, S219), the process by the webapplication object shifts to S220. On the other hand, if the trigger isnot up (No, S219), the process by the web application object shifts toS114.

If the trigger of the timer program is up (Yes, S219), the webapplication object instructs the network interface 123 to send a statusinformation check request to the printer 20 (S220).

Then, in S221, the web application object receives a response to thestatus information check request sent in S220 and checks whether or notstatus information is contained in the response. If the statusinformation is included (Yes, S221), the process by the web applicationobject shifts to S222. On the other hand, if the status information isnot included in the response (No, S221), the process by the webapplication object shifts to S113.

If the status information is included in the response (Yes, S221), theweb application object decodes the results of acquiring the statusinformation acquired in S220, in a format that can be handled by the webapplication object and compares the results with the variable groupstatus information B in the memory part 124. Here, if there is adifference in the results of comparison (Yes, S222), the process by theweb application object shifts to S223. On the other hand, if there is nodifference in the results of comparison (No, S222), the process by theweb application object shifts to S113.

Then, the web application object decodes the result of acquiring statusinformation in S220 in a format that can be handled by the webapplication object and causes the information to be stored in thevariable group status information A, status information B, and theprevious status acquisition time in the memory part 124. Here, thestatus information B is a copy of the status information A. In addition,the status acquisition time causes the time information to be stored inthe 4-byte UNIX (registered trademark) time format.

Here, the user may be asked for the operation in S223. For example, ascreen, such as a window 20129 shown in FIG. 18, may be displayed on thedisplay part 122, and the user may be asked for his judgment regardingthe modification. In this example, if a Yes button 20130 is pressed downby the user, the process in S223 is executed, and if a No button 20131is pressed down, the process of S113 is executed.

In S114, the web application object judges whether or not an Applybutton 10127 b on the operation screen displayed via the display part122 is pressed down. If the Apply button 10127 b is pressed down (Yes,S114), the process by the web application object shifts to S115. On theother hand, if the Apply button 10127 b is not pressed down (No, S114),the process by the web application object shifts to S116.

If the Apply button 10127 b is pressed down (Yes, S114), the webapplication object encodes the status information stored in the variablegroup status information in the memory part 124 in a fixed format whichcan be used by the device controller (CPU) 125 for storing the statusinformation in the non-volatile memory 1013 in the printer 20 and hasthe status information sent to the printer 20 via the network interface123.

If the Apply button 10127 b is not pressed down (No, S114), the webapplication object judges whether or not a Cancel button 10128 b on theoperation screen displayed via the display part 122 is pressed down. Ifthe Cancel button 10128 b is pressed down (Yes, S116), the process bythe web application object shifts to S117. On the other hand, if theCancel button 10128 b is not pressed down (No, S116), the process by theweb application object shifts to S116.

If the Cancel button 10128 b is pressed down (Yes, S116), the webapplication object resets the status update information modified via theinput part 121 in the pane 10125 b to restore the original state beforethe modification (pre-modification state) (S117). In other words, theweb application object copies the content of the variable group statusinformation B in the memory part 124 to the variable group statusinformation A. Once the status information of the memory part 124 isreset to the pre-modification state, the display of the pane 10125 b isalso rewritten to the state before the modification.

On the other hand, if the Cancel button 10128 b is not pressed down (No,S116), the web application object detects an end signal due to closing aweb browser, moving to another web page, and the like. If the end signaldue to closing a web browser, moving to another web page, and the likeis detected (Yes, S118), the web application object ends the process. Ifthe end signal is not detected (No, S118), the process by the webapplication object shifts to S113.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the networkcontroller receives a status check request, if it is judged that thestatus information retained by the network device that sends the statuscheck request is older than the status information retained by thenetwork controller, the status information retained on the networkdevice is advantageously updated to the most recent status informationby responding with the status information retained by the networkcontroller, in addition to the advantage of the first embodiment.

Although, in the present embodiment, a printer is explained as anexample of image forming apparatus, the present application is notlimited to this but is applicable to other devices such as multifunction peripherals (MFPs) including scanner, FAX functions and thelike, where the status information in the device is at least referred toor updated externally by a network controller.

In addition, although in explaining the present embodiment, a webapplication on a web browser is used as a tool for referring to andupdating the status information of an image forming apparatus, in thepresent application anything that can perform communication between thenetwork device and the image forming apparatus while having a dialoguewith the user may be adopted, and a form that utilizes a clientapplication pre-embedded in the network device may be adopted. Here,drawings used for explaining the present embodiment and URL, proprietarystatus information, and the like included in the text do not limit thepresent application.

1-12. (canceled)
 13. An image forming apparatus that is configured usingstatus information, comprising: a communication part that includes amemory part that stores the status information of the image formingapparatus, and an I/F part that performs communication with, andreceives image data and a status information update request from anexternal device, the status information update request including statusinformation update data for the status information; an image processingpart that processes the image data that is received by the communicationpart; an image forming part that forms an image of the image dataprocessed by the image processing part; and a power supply controllerthat controls power supplied to the communication part, the imageprocessing part and the image forming part during a normal mode, andthat restricts the power supplied to the image processing part and theimage forming part, and supplies the power to the communication partduring a power saving mode, wherein when the communication part receivesthe status information update request from the external device duringthe power saving mode, the status information update data of thereceived status information update request is stored in the memory part,and when the power saving mode is shifted to the normal mode, thecommunication part modifies the status information stored in the memorypart using the status information update data stored in the memory partand sets the image forming apparatus using the modified statusinformation.
 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the communication part is able to receive a status informationrequest from the external device, and when the communication partreceives the status information request from the external device, thecommunication part transmits the status information and the statusinformation update data stored in the memory part to the externaldevice.
 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe status information includes device-specific information andmodifiable information.
 16. An image forming apparatus that isconfigured storing status information, comprising: an I/F part thatperforms communication with, and receives update data of the statusinformation from an external device; a memory part that stores theupdate data received by the I/F part; function parts that perform imageforming functions other than the I/F part and the memory part do, and apower supply controller that controls power supplied to the functionparts, the I/F part and the memory part, wherein the power supplycontroller supplies the power to at least the I/F part and the memorypart during a power saving mode whose power consumption is smaller thanthat of a normal mode, when the I/F part receives the update data fromthe external device during the power saving mode, the received updatedata is stored in the memory part, and when the power saving mode isshifted to the normal mode, the stored status information is modifiedusing the update data stored in the memory part and setting of the imageforming apparatus is performed using the modified status information.17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the I/Fpart is able to receive a status information request from the externaldevice, and when the I/F part receives the status information requestfrom the external device, the I/F part transmits the stored statusinformation and the update data stored in the memory part to theexternal device.
 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,wherein the status information includes device-specific information andmodifiable information.